Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928-2017) was a Polish-American political scientist and diplomat. He served as National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. Brzezinski was a key figure in the normalization of US-China relations and the signing of the SALT II treaty. He was also a professor at Columbia University and a foreign policy advisor to several US presidents. Brzezinski was a strong advocate for human rights and democracy, and was a vocal critic of the Soviet Union. He wrote several books on international relations and foreign policy, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981.